The last post was a tad gloomy. The beautiful thing about a grey, sad day is when the clouds part and they always do, the sun shines bright. The following day always looks more radiant, clearer somehow.

I have been admiring the new color way of the fabric on the settee that Nick Olsen put together in the NY showroom of Lee Jofa. It's fun and flirty.

Lee Jofa: Pertelote

I lean towards neutrals and black and white will always be chic, but Color is king right now in my book. Forget about the trends: bold color and pastels, these rooms feel good without speaking to any trend. If color is king and comfort is key, it goes without saying that both should be expressed in your home if that is what speaks who you are!

Eileen Kathryn Boyd

Jamie Drake

Amanda Nisbet

Chris Kennedy

via House beautiful

Kathryn Ireland

Jamie Drake

These colorful rooms all look chic without trying too hard. Who doesn't love happy, cheery interiors? Is it just me or are you feeling it too?

I spent a lot of time today thinking about love and loss and what I was going to blog about. There is an ebb and a flow to a blog, like everything else. We write blog posts to share and inspire. They're a part of us; our voice, our point of view, and sometimes our very mood inspires a post. I couldn't imagine talking about trends or color or an event. I was on Pinterest for a good part of the day, and I want to talk about sacred spaces (physical or emotional). Many of these photos are on boards I have pinned. Where do you go when you need to recharge or be lifted up?

Innovative, award winning, amazingly creative designer Lori Weitzner uses uncommon materials with an eco conscious mindset when designing her wallpaper collection. Her Magnetism wallpaper is a beautiful way to pin a picture. It has a beautiful hand and looks like linen wallpaper. That certainly tidies the look of an office ~

Some days just seem harder to get thru than others. I am in a fog, a lazy, hazy fog. Too much work, too little time, violence in the world, a ton of juggling, and the house needs work and it won't fix itself. I am coveting anything cloud-like right now. Don't know why, don't care. When a feeling sweeps over you (or thru you, which is more cloud-like) you need go with it; envelop yourself in the ethereal, dream like-feeling. It really does transcend the space

Fornasetti wallpaper,ph: Lisa Romerein

Ryan Studio

Real nimbus clouds created in unlikely places, then photographed. Strangely surreal and beautiful.

Woman in an Armchair is the first of 78 prized paintings Leonard Lauder will be donating to the Met. The transfer of the collection will be complete in time for a 2014 exhibit. In one fell swoop the Met will have one of, if not the, most influential collection of cubism in the world. Below are a few pieces that will be included in that gift ~

The Scallop Shell, Picasso,1912

Fruit Dish and Glass, Braque,1912

Figure Seated in Cafe, Juan Gris,1914

The Typographer, Fernand Léger,1918-19

Picasso and Braque are credited for conceiving cubism. It was the first abstract style of modern art. Cubists proposed the notion of viewing an image from many different angles and reconstructed it into a composition of planes. The whole idea of space is reconfigured.

While not part of Lauder's collection, these men are also strongly tied to the cubist movement. They all must have spent a lot of time in cafes because that is a theme running through their art. I picture these men sitting outside a French cafe, smoking cigarettes, talking and inspiring one another. I must have gotten that from the movie Midnight in Paris. Did you see it? You should.

Jean Metzinger, Dancer in a Cafe,1912

Albert Gleizes,Woman with Animals,1914

If you enjoy cubism and can't afford a masterpiece (and who can these days?), here are a few artists

I am crazy for and whom I have recently been exposed to ~ with a friendlier price tag ~

America Martin, In the Trees 2012

Alexandra Nechita, Voiceless Forest, 2001

Paolo de San Lorenzo

We all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is also beauty in knowing. If this is not for you, there is so much magnificent art work out there that will speak to you. Go find your joy!

Having been in the fashion and design business for many years as a stylist, fashion show coordinator, and presently the principal ofCarrie Leskowitz Interiors,I incorporated transformational life coach to my resume. Design from Within is where inner peace meets outer beauty. I take a holistic or "Life Coach Approach" to interior design. The blog is part inspiration, part aspiration, part education, part motivation! Live your best life more Beaut~i~FULLY inside and out!

"Decoration is about creating a quality of life, and beauty in that life that nourishes the soul, that makes life beautiful. That's what it's all about".~ Albert Hadley